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BRANCH COUNTY
BRONSON
Congressional District # 07
NORTH BRONSON INDUSTRIAL AREA
EPA ID# MID005480900Last Updated: July, 2008
Site Description
The North Bronson Industrial Area (NBIA) site, located in Branch County, Bronson, Michigan, consists of two lagoon areas and a county drain which runs adjacent to the lagoons. Several industries in the area discharged plating and other industrial wastes to seepage lagoons between 1939 and 1981. An industrial sewer system was used to transport plating wastes to both sets of lagoons, which were owned and maintained by the city of Bronson. The seepage lagoons are no longer used for waste disposal; however, they contain an estimated 130,000 cubic yards of heavy metal sludges.
The majority of the city of Bronson is within a one-mile radius of the old lagoons at the NBIA site. The area surrounding the site is mixed industrial and residential; north of the site is primarily rural. The majority of the residents in the area of the site are connected to the municipal water supply system, though an estimated 3,000 people within three miles of the site use wells as a source of drinking water. The primary supply wells are located approximately 5,000 feet west of the site and are screened in the upper aquifer.
Site Responsibility
This site is being addressed through federal and state actions.Threats and Contaminants
High levels of trichloroethylene, dichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride (also known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs) as well as elevated levels of heavy metals and cyanide, have been detected in private and groundwater monitoring wells in the area. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)and metals such as cadmium have been found in sediment samples downstream of the old lagoons. Lagoon sludge contains heavy metals, including cadmium, chromium, and lead. Municipal wells are located upgradient of the site with only a remote chance of site contaminants reaching these wells. Accidental ingestion of or direct contact with, the contaminated groundwater, sediment, and sludge could pose a health threat to people.Cleanup Progress
In 1988, action was taken to eliminate immediate threats by removing from service private wells found to be contaminated with metals and VOCs. Alternate water supplies were provided to the affected residences. In 1993 and 1994, United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Technical Assessment Teams were dispatched to the site. During the 1993 visit, the site was evaluated for immediate threats to human health. In several of the remaining buildings, waste piles, vats and drums were identified, characterized and secured. In 1994, the vats were pumped clean, and the drums were overpacked and removed from the site. The vats were covered and the buildings were secured to prevent trespassing.
The Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was conducted under State Lead-Fund Financed activities. Cleanup options to address the lagoons and the drain (Operable Unit 1; OU1) were evaluated and a decision on the final cleanup remedy was made in June 1998 in a Record of Decision (ROD) signed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and U.S. EPA. The selected remedy is to consolidate contaminated soils into one area of the western lagoons, dredge sediments from the County Drain #30 and consolidate them in that area as well, and to construct a Wetland to treat groundwater from the lagoon area.
Remedial Design and Remedial Action (RD/RA) negotiations with potentially responsible parties (PRPs) began a week after the ROD was signed. A Consent Decree (CD) was signed by U.S. EPA and the five PRPs. RD began in February 2000, with the first task being Pre-Design Studies (PDS). Field Work for PDS took place between February 2001 and March 2001, including the installation of new monitoring wells, abandonment of wells, sampling sediment and development of new wells.
The Draft PDS Report was submitted in July 2001 for U.S. EPA and MDEQ review and comment. The revised report was submitted on November 5, 2001 and did not meet the requirements of the Statement of Work and CD. Per a request from U.S. EPA, the Draft Phase II PDS Work Plan was submitted on May 20, 2002, which included additional field studies north and south of the County drain #30. The final Phase II PDS Work Plan was submitted in July, 2002. Field work took place in August 2002. EPA received the Draft Phase II PDS Technical Memorandum in December 2002. Work conducted as part of the PDS showed possible problems with the implementation of the constructed wetland approach for groundwater treatment. Pending resolution of implementation issues with the ROD-selected groundwater treatment approach, the PRPs have proposed to enhance the source control portion of the lagoon closure remedy by adding solidification and stabilization additives. This will give the lagoon sludges the strength necessary to support a cover and should reduce leaching of contaminants to groundwater. The PRPs are evaluating solidification and stabilization mixes and conducted a pilot scale field test of mixtures in late 2006. Results are currently being evaluated. If stabilization and solidification is accepted as an enhancement to the remedy, U.S. EPA will document that decision in an Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) document. Any modification to the original groundwater remedy selected in the ROD will be addressed though a future ROD amendment.
Operable Unit 2 (OU2) consists of the Industrial Sewer that was used by the industries to transport their liquid wastes to the waste lagoons. MDEQ began investigations of the sewer in September 1996 and subsequently sampled again in May 1998. Results of these two sampling activities are reported in Technical Memorandums for the Industrial Sewer. U.S. EPA began negotiations with the PRPs in September 2000, for the FS. As a result of these Negotiations, U.S. EPA and the PRPs agreed to evaluate upstream source areas "abandoned facilities" prior to completing work on Industrial sewer.
North Bronson Former Facilities - The upstream sources that were identified as part of discussion for OU2 were evaluated by EPA and PRPs. Work on these sources is proceeding. These facilities are known as the North Bronson Former Facilities and include the former Bronson Reel facility, the former L.A. Darling facility, and the former Scott Fetzer facility.
* Former Bronson Reel Facility - A Record of Decision (ROD) was issued for the former Bronson Reel facility on September 26, 2006. The ROD requires: (1) the implementation of a warranty deed restriction on the property to require follow-up sampling under the site buildings if the foundations are ever removed, and (2) the implementation of groundwater use restrictions because of concerns about site-wide groundwater contamination that impacts the northern industrial area of Bronson. No other risks from the source area were identified.
* Former L.A. Darling Facility - The former L.A. Darling facility contains metal and solvent contamination in its soil and groundwater. The site PRP completed the RI Report in 2006 and submitted a draft FS for EPA review in the Fall of 2006. The PRP revised the FS based on EPA and Michigan DEQ comments. EPA expects a cleanup decision for the former L.A. Darling facility in spring 2008. Because of concerns with the groundwater plume originating from the facility, EPA and the PRP are also evaluating the possibility of vapor instrusion in buildings near the facility. Soil gas samples have been collected from many nearby properties, and in-home air sampling has been conducted for those homes considered at risk of unacceptable levels of vapor intrusion. At least one home near the former L.A. Darling property has been identified as needing mitigation to address unacceptable levels of solvent vapors in indoor air. The EPA Region 5 Emergency Response program is coordinating the response with the PRP and the homeowner. Additional quarterly monitoring will be performed at nearby properties to ensure that all homes at risk have been identified. Also, in the fall of 2007, L.A. Darling commenced a partial removal of contaminated soil from the property to allow for the construction of a road though part of the property.
* Former Scott Fetzer Facility - The former Scott Fetzer facility also contains metal and solvent contamination in its soil and groundwater. The final RI report is expected in spring of 2008, with an FS expected by the summer of 2008. A ROD is expected by spring 2009. As with the L.A. Darling facility, there are concerns with the possible vapor intrusion from contaminated groundwater originating from the former Scott Fetzer facility. EPA and the Scott Fetzer company are coordinating on soil gas and indoor air sampling to determine the extent of the problem. Two homes near the Scott Fetzer facility have been identified as needing mitigation to address unacceptable levels of solvent vapor in indoor air. The EPA Region 5 Emergency Response program is coordinating the response with the PRP and the homeowners. Additional quarterly monitoring will be performed at nearby properties to ensure that all homes at risk have been identified.
Contacts
Remedial Project Manager, U.S. EPATerese Van Donsel (vandonsel.terese@epa.gov)
(312) 353-6564
Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA
cheryl allen
(312) 353-6196
Aliases
NORTH BRONSON IND AREABRONSON RESIDENTS WELL
BRONSON PLATING MFG CO
BRONSON PLATING CO
BRONSON WWTP